Our names, familiar patterns
Purists, Aides, Trailblazers, Muses, Scholars, Pragmatists, Sparks, Kingpins, and Consuls are the character names we use at Nine Personalities. Conventional names appear in our guides to help you connect different Enneagram traditions. The type numbers provide a shared reference; names vary between authors.
Sources we use
The Enneagram Institute: the nine type descriptions
A reference for conventional names and the Institute’s descriptions of the nine patterns. This is a theory source, not evidence that our assessment is validated.
The Enneagram Institute: how the system works
Explains the Institute’s account of types, wings, instincts, and development. These are concepts within the Enneagram tradition.
Hook and colleagues (2021): a systematic review of Enneagram research
A review of 104 independent samples found mixed evidence for reliability and validity, with little research supporting wings and intertype movement. It does not evaluate the Nine Personalities assessment.
What is our own interpretation?
Nine Personalities writes the guides and comparisons on this site. Everyday scenarios, character stories, communication suggestions, and reflection questions are editorial exercises. They are not study results or predictions of how an individual will behave.
Our guides link to relevant type descriptions, and comparison pages link to their specific theory source. Citing an organization does not imply its endorsement of this site.
What does this say about the assessment?
Research on an Enneagram instrument does not validate a different instrument. The systematic review above does not evaluate our questions or scoring. Model confidence, response counts, and an appealing description cannot establish accuracy on their own.
Corrections and questions
If a description or reference needs correcting, tell us which page and what you noticed. We do not attach a scientific reviewer’s name or a review date unless that review has actually taken place.